TNA Wrestling Replaces Six Sided Ring with Traditional Four Sided Ring

At the recent TNA Genesis pay-per-view event, TNA Wrestling replaced its trademark and unique six-sided ring with a more traditional four-sided wrestling ring. The new ring was unveiled as a part of Hulk Hogan's and Eric Bischoff's plans to revamp TNA to compete directly with the WWE.

TNA fans at the live event were not enthusiastic about losing the six-sided ring, even booing Hulk Hogan at one point. But the Hulkster put his foot down and told the fans that real wrestling happens in a four-sided ring, and that the six-sided ring was history.

Although long-time TNA fans are disappointed about the loss of the six-sided ring, professional wrestling has always lived and died by the talent in the ring, not by the ring itself. The new four-sided TNA ring appeared to be quite a bit smaller than the ring used by the WWE, which is consistent with the fast-paced wrestling style used by TNA.

The four-sided ring did appear to slow down the action at Genesis compared to action in the six-sided ring, but the wrestlers (who were not informed in advance about the new ring) will soon adapt and find their footing in the new "squared circle" of TNA. It remains to be seen whether the switch to a traditional ring serves TNA well and gives TNA credibility in light of the larger promotions such as WWE and in light of the history of professional wrestling.

In addition to the new four-sided ring, the new TNA Impact Zone featured a ramp up to the ring from the backstage area. The new ring itself retains the red ring ropes and unique turnbuckles that have defined the TNA six-sided ring.

Because fans demonstrated themselves to be so dissatisfied with the new TNA ring, one can assume only that the new ring is a part of the Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff master plan to compete with the WWE. It would not be surprising if the changes in TNA are being bankrolled by the WWE behind the scenes in a takeover scheme, or if TNA eventually gets bought out by the WWE just as WCW was subsumed into the WWE after the Monday Night Wars of the 1990s.

In such a case, the switch to a four-sided ring could be seen as a step toward the homogenization of the TNA roster to prepare them for an eventual WWE takeover. But professional wrestling has always had its secrets, and fans will have to wait to see how the new TNA unfolds, bith inside the new four-sided ring and behind the scenes in its corporate structure.